Recently I discovered a women’s kickboxing gym in Hollywood and have been going regularly. It’s been some of the most fun I’ve had working out since I discovered salsa dancing years ago. We practice shadow-boxing, working with the “big bag” and partner work with boxing pads. There’s just something awesome about feeling your body’s ability to strike, especially when you focus not just on the move, but the purpose for that specific move. When practicing push kicks on the bag, our instructor is yelling, “Push him back, push him back!” When throwing elbow punches, he’s yelling, “Hit him in the face, hit him in the face!” Or when drilling our knee kicks, well, I’m sure you know what he’s yelling! My muscle memory is linking up the moves with the intentions behind it, so it becomes a reflex fueled with purpose. And the moves become stronger because there’s a reason for them other than burning calories and feeling like a badass.
This got me thinking about my drama school days when we learned about physicalizing our intentions. There are so many ways to state an intention and different techniques will speak to actors in different ways. Getting your body involved in your rehearsals can much more effectively connect you to your emotional life. As they say, “Motion creates Emotion”. It’s hard to just sit still and conjure up an emotion. If your character in the scene does have to sit there for some reason, what would your body be doing to fully express your intention?
For example, if your character is talking to someone they wish would get out of their way, an intention could be “Get them out of my face.” Or it could be “To push them away.” The difference in wording here is simply that the second one can be physicalized. Practicing saying the line while physically making the motion of “pushing” connects your physical experience with your emotional one. Start with a small push and then gradually get bigger with the move and more intense in the delivery to explore different levels.
If your character wants to playfully taunt another, your intention could be “To rile them up”. Or it could be “To jab at, poke at, rib, and tickle.” Each of those physicalized intentions will get toward the same end, but you can see how saying a line as if you are tickling someone might be a more specific and interesting choice. It can add another dimension to both your delivery and how it lands on the other character and ultimately affects them.
Practicing physicalizing intentions can really loosen you up and help if you are getting stuck making “predictable” or “one level” choices. Maybe your first instinct with a line is that you want to “get them to back away”. If you had to get this done using no words, how might you go about it? “Swing a knife at them.” “Throw a jab, cross to their face.” “Kick them (where?).” Each is obviously an aggressive move, but feels very different to execute and can vary your delivery. And then for fun, play with some opposites. With that same line, try using the intentions “Caress, Hug, and High-five”. You’ll probably never decide to do a full 180 on a choice like this, but it’s a good reminder that there are an infinite number of ways people try to get what they want and there is never a “right” choice. Who knows, you may unlock a really unique angle on your character that may surprise and inspire you creatively.
This technique may help you get out of your comfort zone and push the limits on your “first instinct” choices. And maybe practicing how to throw an upper cut to someone’s face is also out of your comfort zone. If you’ve never taken a kickboxing class, I highly recommend it. It’s not just great workout, but it’s important to know what your body is capable of. Building up your physical confidence can translate into more confidence in pursuing objectives in life and in your work! Hi-yah!